


Home isn't a Place

by guizhou



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Alternate Universe - Modern Setting, Family Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-19
Updated: 2016-06-19
Packaged: 2018-07-15 23:45:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,486
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7243648
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/guizhou/pseuds/guizhou
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A day in the life of Niles and Corrin's household on a lazy Sunday. It also happens to be Father's Day.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home isn't a Place

**Author's Note:**

> (@ my title: IT'S THE FRIENDS WE MADE ALONG THE WAY) but really. home is people!!! writing this was super self-indulgent and even tho i told myself my next kamuzero fic would be from corrin's pov, i took the easy way out and wrote from niles' pov... again......
> 
> actual notes: m!robin (as in from awakening) is corrin's cousin. there are mentions of frederick/m!robin bc i'm thirsty. corrin's twin sister is kamui and she's totally engaged to azura ok

When Niles wakes to the sound of Corrin's even breathing beside him, he thinks he must still be dreaming. He opens his good eye and waits for the door to burst open, waits for the inevitable arrival of his precious daughters to wake him and his husband up for the day. It's Sunday, after all, and the weekends are always reserved for family time.

A minute passes in peaceful silence. Two, five... almost ten minutes go by without a single stir outside their door. Judging from the soft light filtering in through the blinds, it's definitely not _so_ early that the girls would still be asleep. Niles wonders if he should be concerned, but then he remembers what today is. Father's Day. Rather than concerned, he starts to feel wary. Were the girls letting them sleep in or were they plotting something?

To his left, Corrin seems to rouse. Niles burrows back in their blankets to hold him close.

“Do you hear that?” Niles murmurs, his voice still raspy with sleep.

“Hear what?” Corrin asks, embracing Niles in turn and muffling a drowsy yawn.

“ _Exactly_ ,” Niles replies, starting to feel a little giddy. It's been ages since he and Corrin had had a lazy weekend morning to themselves.

His husband catches on after that, the sleep leaving his ruby eyes and widening with alarmed concern. “Are the girls alright?” he asks next, urgently.

“I can go check on them, if you want. But it's Father's Day... they might be letting us sleep in for once,” Niles says, idly stroking his fingers along Corrin's side, hoping he can coax his husband into allowing the both of them to lounge in bed for a little longer.

Corrin visibly relaxes at that, his expression shifting into a more thoughtful one, as if he's weighing the likelihood of Niles' postulation being right. “I suppose that makes sense...” he eventually relents.

“Mhm... Don't we have such considerate daughters?” Niles says, pleased.

“We do. Though... maybe we should get up anyway? We still need to get breakfast started. And we have laundry to do today,” Corrin reminds.

“A fair point, love. Though I feel we should make the most of our precious daughters' considerate gesture,” Niles replies, his hand on Corrin's hip strategically inching around to grope Corrin's ass with unmistakable intent. Predictably enough, his husband's cheeks flush with embarrassment.

“Really, Niles? Fooling around first thing in the morning on Father's Day?” Corrin whispers, nervously, as if speaking too loud might suddenly summon their daughters to their room.

“You don't seem unwilling,” Niles hums, grinding slowly against the building heat between his husband's legs.

Corrin bites his lip, stifling a delicious whimper. In retaliation, Niles leans in to flick his tongue hotly against Corrin's mouth, trying to encourage those cute little noises when he knows they should be trying to keep quiet instead.

Just as the two of them begin to _really_ get into it, a loud crash from downstairs startles them apart. Had they been younger, they might not have stopped for a nuclear explosion happening outside their window. But as responsible adults with two very accident-prone daughters, they reflexively hurry out of bed at record-breaking speed.

 

* * *

 

After they had discovered the crash to be Nina and Kana attempting to make breakfast—their attempt promptly failing when they couldn't even tug out a frying pan without everything else in the cupboard falling out—Niles and Corrin had decided they should all just cook together.

It takes them longer than usual, between all the laughter and story-telling and the girls' constant insistence that they should be doing most of the work since it's Father's Day.

But now, all that's left is cleanup. Once the table is clear, Corrin volunteers to do dishes. In turn, Niles offers to do up the girls' hair for the day. Both Nina and Kana scramble for their clips and hair ties. Since Nina is older, she lets Kana go first.

Niles hefts Kana up onto a chair and smiles. “How shall I style milady's hair today?” he asks, playfully.

Kana giggles. “I want a bun, just like always, Daddy!”

“An excellent choice,” Niles praises, letting out a chuckle of his own. He takes his time brushing Kana's silver locks, making sure to brush slowly and gently, but with just enough firmness to rid the girl's hair of tangles. Though tedious, it's easy for Niles to get lost in the repetitive motions. Doing this has become one of his favorite ways to bond with his daughters.

“Right, let's have that hair tie,” Niles finally says, satisfied with his de-tangling. Kana claps her hands excitedly before tugging the tie off her wrist and giving it to her father.

Using the brush and his fingers, Niles carefully arranges Kana's soft hair into a high ponytail. “Is this too tight?” he asks, while fixing a few stray strands.

“That feels just right!” Kana chirps, happily.

Smiling, Niles gets back to the task at hand. He's always done this part a little clumsily but he thinks he's steadily getting better... With slow movements, he twists Kana's ponytail until it's coiled tight, leaving out one thick tuft of hair on purpose. After he wraps the coil in a loose bun, he secures it with another hair tie. He uses the last tuft of hair to circle around the base of the bun, keeping that in place with a few hair clips.

Niles turns to Nina. “What's the verdict?”

Nina pretends to think hard, scrutinizing Kana's bun closely. She soon breaks into a laugh at Niles' weary stare. “She looks super cute, Dad. Good job.”

“Yayyy, thank you, Daddy!” Kana cheers as she bounces off the chair, most likely about to run off to show Corrin.

“Aw, don't I get a thank you kiss?” Niles coos, expectantly. Kana laughs and raises her arms up, asking to be carried. Niles indulges her and is instantly rewarded with a sweet kiss to his cheek and more eager praise about the bun.

“Milady is too kind. Now, go show your papa,” Niles says, setting Kana back down. She grins and scurries towards the sink, where Corrin is still washing dishes.

He turns back to Nina and pats the chair Kana had been sitting on. “Alright, sweetheart. I think I've got some braiding to do next.”

 

* * *

 

“We should really be doing our chores...” Corrin says, half-heartedly. Niles can't help a smirk and a quizzical raise of his eyebrow. His darling husband is already getting cozy on the couch with Kana in his lap.

“Just one movie, Papa!” Kana all but pleads. And, well, Niles knows Corrin couldn't even dream of saying no to that.

Niles gets settled on the couch, too; Corrin and Kana to his left, Nina to his right. Nina is holding a large bowl of popcorn that they had cooked up together as soon as Kana suggested a movie. “What should we watch?” she asks in between bites.

“Hmm...” Niles flicks through Netflix, waiting for something to catch his eye. “I guess horror's out of the question?”

“Daaad, no!” Nina huffs, giving Niles' arm an indignant push.

“Niles, you're teasing her,” Corrin points out, trying to be helpful.

Nina huffs again and crosses her arms. Niles just chuckles and presses a quick kiss to his daughter's forehead. “But you're so cute when you cling to me and try to hide,” he says, unable to resist teasing her just a tiny bit more. Nina pushes at him again, letting out an embarrassed noise as her cheeks flush red.

Niles chuckles and reaches out to pat Nina's head, taking care not to muss up her braids. “Maybe Disney instead?”

“Can we watch Tangled?!” Kana cries, with all the excitement of a five-year-old girl.

“...Tangled would be fun,” Nina pipes up. Niles doesn't say anything when she curls up closer against him, though he can't deny how pleased he is. She really is too cute.

“Tangled it is,” Niles agrees, turning Netflix off and getting their DVD player going instead.

“Oh! This is the one with that character who kinda reminds me of you, Niles,” Corrin says, smiling brightly.

There's a brief pause, silence filling the air, but then Nina and Kana start laughing.

Niles stares at Corrin incredulously. “You can't possibly mean Flynn Rider,” he says, trying not to sound too defensive.

“I think it's the smoulder,” is all Corrin says in return.

Nina and Kana only laugh harder.

 

* * *

 

“Robin and Frederick and Morgan say happy father's day, Niles,” Corrin says, poking his head inside the laundry room where Niles and the girls are busily sorting the whites and colors.

“Ohh, Papa! Can you tell Uncle Robin and Uncle Frederick I say that, too?!” Kana exclaims, bouncing over to Corrin energetically. “Of course, Kana,” Corrin laughs, giving the little girl's head a fond pat before going back to typing away on his phone.

“Seconded!” Nina chips in, raising her hand.

“Third-ed. And that I say thanks,” Niles contributes last, throwing a few more shirts onto their growing colors pile.

“Oh, and Frederick made us matching dad sweaters, Niles,” Corrin informs him.

“...I'm a little scared, but that sounds exactly like something he'd do. Even though we're in the middle of summer,” Niles says, amused. Corrin's favorite cousin had picked a strange husband, but he supposes Corrin had, too.

“Do you think we could go over to Uncle Robin's soon? It'd be nice to play with Morgan,” Nina says, obviously trying to sound casual.

“Aunt Kamui and Aunt Azura are actually planning a big family picnic next weekend. You two will be able to play with all your cousins there,” Corrin responds, grinning.

Both Nina and Kana go starry-eyed and begin chattering, completely forgetting about the laundry basket before them. “Forrest is going to be there, so we should invite Ophelia!” “I can't wait to play with Shiro and Siegbert!” “Oh, and if Ophelia's coming, she'll definitely want to invite Soleil...” “I'm sure Siegbert will want to invite her, too!” The back-and-forth between the two sisters almost seems endless.

“Oh, now you've done it,” Niles chuckles, still diligently sorting their laundry.

“I'll take proper responsibility,” Corrin assures with a wink, pocketing his phone to start loading the washing machine.

 

* * *

 

By the time dinner is finished and all their chores are successfully cleared, it's—a little surprisingly—time for bed. It's been a long day.

For the time being, Nina and Kana share their room. But Niles finds that Nina is growing up faster than he can believe. He and Corrin will soon have to see about turning the guest room into a bedroom. He tries not to let his mind wander too far down the road. Nina going to high school, leaving for college, starting her own life away from him and Corrin. All part of parenthood, he knows.

Niles wants to make the most of every second they have together as a family. And, for now, Nina still hasn't grown out of wanting to listen in on the bedtime stories they read for Kana.

While Corrin helps Kana wash up and change into sleepwear, Niles helps Nina undo her braids for bed.

“Did you have fun today, Dad?” Nina asks, her voice coming out small but with a noticeable tinge of curiosity.

“Of course, sweetheart. I always have fun when we're together,” Niles replies, easily. He cards his fingers softly through her hair, loosening her braids until the long, silver strands begin to relax.

Nina looks over her shoulder and smiles at him almost shyly.

A few more minutes pass before Corrin and Kana rejoin them. Kana is wearing her favorite pair of pyjamas. The ones with the dragons on them. She steps right in front of Niles to pose and let out a cute roar. Niles plays along. “Great beast! What've you done to my princess?” he accuses, scooping Kana up into his arms.

“What else would a mighty dragon do to a princess?” Kana replies, smugly pointing at her belly.

As they play around, Niles notices out of the corner of his eye that Corrin and Nina are picking out a book from Kana's shelf.

“Alright, fierce dragon, bed time,” Niles laughs, carrying Kana over to her bed. Kana squirms playfully and giggles. But when Niles sits her on her sheets, she gets herself settled without any fuss.

Corrin gets Nina tucked into her own bed, adjacent to Kana's with only a nightstand in between.

“Kana, me and Papa picked this one for you,” Nina whispers to her sister, grinning as she shows Kana the book.

“I love that one!” Kana cheers, practically bouncing in her bed.

“Now, now, princess. Story time is for winding down, hm?” Niles reminds, smoothing the sheets of his daughter's bed.

“Sorry, Daddy,” Kana says sheepishly, offering a smile. She lays back against her pillows and looks at her fathers expectantly. Nina does the same, nudging the book into Corrin's hand. “My turn first?” Corrin wonders aloud, flipping the book open. It's an old copy that Niles had kept since childhood. He can almost feel the worn pages underneath his fingertips without even touching the book himself.

“You have to let me do the voice for the cat, though,” Niles cuts in.

Corrin laughs and nods his head. “Of course! I think I like your cat voice more than the girls do.”

 

* * *

 

“I love you,” Niles whispers, gently tugging Corrin into bed with him.

“I love you, too,” Corrin replies, with that tender sincerity that Niles adores so much. Even after years and years of being together, a few sweet words from his husband's lips can still make his heart soar. And as he gazes into those familiar ruby eyes, he thinks of how happy he is to have built a life with Corrin and their two beautiful daughters.

Corrin then cups his cheek and steals his lips in a slow kiss. The warmth that fills Niles' chest leaves him willing the sensation to stretch on forever.

“Thank you for being such an amazing father,” Corrin says when their lips slowly part, and Niles can tell he means every word wholeheartedly. Niles doesn't understand how such a simple statement can make him feel so... emotional. For a long moment, he just holds Corrin tighter, pressing soft kisses to his forehead and temple.

“I'm only any good at it because you set the bar so high,” Niles murmurs with a warm, quiet laugh.

At that, Corrin shakes his head and smiles wide—it's so radiant and genuine that Niles helplessly falls in love with him all over again.

They lull into a comfortable silence after that, both of them ready to turn in for the day. As Niles lays in bed with his beloved husband in his arms, their children slumbering peacefully just across the hallway, he feels content, knowing there will be many more perfect days like this to come.

**Author's Note:**

> thank you for reading!!!!! sorry if nina and kana are too ooc?!?! i've never had either of them since i keep gay marrying zero in all my files oops. i did what research i could during the work week tho... and i can also chalk up any serious characterization disparities w/ the fact there are no babyrealms in this universe!!! (#excuses)
> 
> in an au of this au, niles gives corrin [this card](http://i.imgur.com/EAbAdGj.jpg). also maybe come say hi on twitter?! i'm @gweesho :")


End file.
